US army gears up for Iron Man

another case of real life taking inspiration from science fiction, scientists at a US-based defence technology firm have developed a robotic exoskeleton based on the Iron Man comic book character. On Monday, Raytheon Sarcos unveiled its creation dubbed the XOS 2 at its research facility in Salt Lake City,
Meant for the military and built from a combination of sensors, actuators and controllers, and powered by high-pressure hydraulics, the futuristic suit will enable its wearer to easily lift over 90 kg several hundred times, or even repeatedly punch through three inches of wood, its developers said.

"With XOS 2, we targeted power consumption and looked for ways to use hydraulic energy more efficiently," said Dr Fraser M Smith, vice president of operations for Raytheon Sarcos.
"That's resulted in us being able to add capabilities while significantly reducing power consumption by at least 50% when compared to its predecessor XOS 1," he said, referring to the earlier iteration that was developed around eight years ago as a proof of concept.

Raytheon believes the robotic suit will help with the many logistics challenges faced by military personnel.

"Our goal is to get the suit ready for fielding so that we can take some of the strain off the soldiers. Repetitive movement and exertion can cause injuries. We want to lighten the soldiers' load," said Rex Jameson, a test engineer for the XOS 2.

The suit will do the lifting for its operator, reducing both strain and exertion. One operator in an exoskeleton suit, for example, could do the work of two to three soldiers, company officials say.

Despite its workhorse functionality, the environmentally-resistant XOS 2 is also said to be agile enough to let its wearer kick a soccer ball, punch a speed bag or climb stairs and ramps with ease.

"Getting exoskeletons deployed is inevitable in my view," said Smith. "They are desperately needed, and I believe the military looks at them as viable solutions to a number of current issues they are trying to address. With a sustained commitment, they could be in place within five years."

Raytheon's Exoskeleton has been called the real Iron Man suit because of its ability to enhance the wearer's strength and endurance in a way that is reminiscent of Tony Stark's high-tech suit in the films of the same name.

The XOS 2 was unveiled to coincide with the September 28 release of Iron Man 2 on Blu-ray and DVD from Paramount Home Entertainment. Also present at the unveiling was actor Clark Gregg (aka Agent Phil Coulson of the Marvel Movie franchise). "Its (the Iron Man suit) becoming real this quickly is kind of remarkable. I can't wait to see XOS 3," he said.

"With the popularity of the Iron Man movies, people wonder if I feel like Iron Man when I suit up. I usually tell them that I can't speak for Tony Stark, but when I'm in the suit I feel like me, only a faster, stronger version of me," Jameson said.